A subject that is filled with numbers, algebraic equations and the variables ‘x’, ‘y’ can sometimes become a nightmare for students if it is not taught in an innovative and interesting manner. Whether it be school or college students most of them find mathematics to be a boring and difficult subject to understand. Most of the learners while preparing for their subjects always start with a subject other than mathematics. This happens because of the fear with the subject. Today’s students are very good at multitasking, making them always a step ahead of time. These young minds need some unconventional and innovative techniques that could be understood by students easily to motivate them.
Here are some of the techniques that you could use to make Maths class interesting.
Always start with Concrete Examples
For centuries mathematicians have always thought of a real world example before coming to any theory and they always try to solve the problems practically. Instead of beginning a topic with equations or formulae start with a related example that was originally used to solve the equation. For this, the teachers should do a lot of research on the topic that they are going to teach the students. If you tell a student to imagine things that would be a difficult task, this is due to the lack of concrete knowledge about the topic. For example, if we talk about Pythagoras theorem, students should be aware that this theorem finds application in architecture and construction (slopes, buildings), surveying which is used in creating a map of an area.
Make the Topic Meaningful
For Educators, it is very important to relate examples from other subjects while explaining any math topic. This will help students in knowing the actual use of each math topic and they can easily relate complex math topics with the topics in other subjects. For example, if we talk about BODMAS rule, students should be aware that this rule finds application in solving almost every equation whether it be physics, chemistry etc.
Try making the topic interesting with Real-world problems
Theproblem with teaching mathematics is that students are never passionate and motivated towards learning a new topic. Teachers should always start the topic with a short video, picture, rough diagram or a graph showing some statistics. This triggers questions in the minds of the students which is a good way to engage in a topic. Teachers should allow the students to answer the real world problems which will make the class an interesting place for both.
Use of technology in solving huge calculations
While dealing with a topic in Maths most of the time is spent with the calculations rather than explaining the concepts. It doesn’t make sense for humans to solve problems using complicated Algebra methods. For this purpose, calculations should be done with advanced calculators or using computers, and more time should be spent on explaining the concepts to students who can process and use different techniques when they face different real-world problems.
To get an experience on how to relate math topics with examples try using Byju’s -The Learning App, Learn various topics like Geometry, Statistics, Calculus etc.
About the author:
Akshay Agnihotri is an Engineer and a content writer by profession. He loves writing and blogging along with part-time teaching. He is presently exploring all about the digital education with Byju’s-the Learning App.